July 2011

Socioeconomic class and smoking linked to premature menopause

Stockholm, Sweden: Women from the lowest social class are almost three times as likely to have premature ovarian failure (POF) as those from the highest social class, a researcher told the annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology on Wednesday. POF is not only associated with infertility but also with significantly […]

Giving up smoking as soon as pregnancy is confirmed averts the adverse birth outcomes associated with tobacco

Stockholm, Sweden: Scientists have shown for the first time in a large population study that mothers’ stopping smoking around the time of getting pregnant can prevent the harmful effects of tobacco on their babies’ growth. Results from a study of over 50 000 pregnancies revealed that women who gave up smoking when their pregnancy was confirmed […]

New, non-invasive test for chromosome abnormalities may also shed light on genetic origins of faulty eggs

Stockholm, Sweden: Researchers are developing a new way to test a woman’s egg for chromosome abnormalities that avoids the need to manipulate and biopsy the egg itself. The research may also shed light on the crucial role played by certain genes in the development of chromosome abnormalities that are a major cause of miscarriages and […]

‘Vanishing twin’ explains increased risk of birth defects in surviving baby after infertility treatment

Stockholm, Sweden: Australian researchers have made the significant discovery that loss of a twin during very early pregnancy explains the increased risk of birth defects seen in multiple pregnancies after infertility treatment. Professor Michael Davies told the annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology on Wednesday that the “vanishing twin” phenomenon, […]

Simple test gives accurate prediction of ovulation to help women become pregnant

Stockholm, Sweden: Using a widely available ovulation test is a more reliable method of predicting when a woman will be at her most fertile than the commonly used calendar method, the annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology heard on Tuesday. Researchers said that the ovulation test could cope with cycle […]

Gum disease can increase the time it takes to become pregnant

Stockholm, Sweden: Women who are trying to become pregnant should make sure they visit their dentist and brush their teeth regularly, after preliminary research revealed that gum disease potentially can lengthen the time it takes for a woman to become pregnant by an average of an extra two months. For the first time, fertility experts […]

Early embryos can correct genetic abnormalities during development: findings have significant implications for fertility treatment and stem cell therapies

Stockholm, Sweden: Researchers have found the first direct evidence that early embryos with genetic abnormalities can correct their faults as they develop, marginalising cells with an incorrect number of chromosomes, while allowing the growth of normal cells. Professor William G. Kearns told the annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology that […]

For the first time researchers can predict accurately the outcome of pregnancies threatening to miscarry

Stockholm, Sweden: Fertility researchers in the UK have developed a reliable way of predicting the outcome of pregnancies that are threatening to miscarry. Dr Kaltum Adam, an honorary clinical research fellow at St Mary’s Hospital in Manchester (UK), told the annual meeting of the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology that around 20% of […]

Large study of live birth rates after ICSI finds significant increase in first trimester pregnancy loss after the age of 37

Stockholm, Sweden: Women undergoing fertility treatment are more likely to give birth to a live baby after ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection) if they are younger than 38 and 11 or more eggs have been retrieved from their ovaries in one ovarian stimulation cycle, according to analysis of one of the largest and longest-running ICSI programmes […]

Two-thirds of women with recurrent miscarriage end up with a live born child after referral to a specialist clinic

Stockholm, Sweden: The first long-term follow-up study to look at the chances of having a live birth after recurrent miscarriage (RM) – defined as at least three consecutive pregnancy losses – found that approximately two-thirds of women with RM had at least one live birth after referral to specialist investigation, a researcher told the annual […]